Battery solutions for smart agriculture - DFM use case

Saft's lithium batteries are powering soil probes that help farmers work more efficiently and save resources

Key benefits for DFM Software Solutions

Risk mitigation for farmers with the choice of a mature technology (optimized CAPEX leading to fast ROI)

Fit and forget solution reducing OPEX

Reliable operation even in remote and harsh environments

Local presence and high technical support from Saft's South African distributor, Just Batteries

Saft solutions features

30-year track record in Li-SOCl2 primary lithium battery technology

2-year continuous lifetime without any maintenance

Wide operating temperature range (-60˚C to +85˚C)

Worldwide network with integrated partners

Our probes need to gather a large volume of complex data at least once an hour - if a battery fails even for a day or two the readings are useless. That’s why we are working with Saft, as they offer the best possible battery available to ensure reliable operation for up to two years.

Dirk Friedhelm MerckerFounder of DFM Software Solutions

What is the challenge for DFM Software Solutions? Providing up to two years of autonomous power in a harsh agricultural environment

Climate change represents a major risk for farmers in South Africa as conditions become drier than ever before. Recognizing that traditional intensive farming methods are no longer working, the country's farmers are turning to the Internet of Things (IoT) to improve their land's productivity.

DFM Software Solutions is adressing this need by developing highly specialized harware and software solutions such as soil moisture probes that monitor critical data round the clock. It continuously logs water levels, salinity, oxygen and plant root development. Armed with this information, farmers optimize the management of their crops and soil, and use water resources more efficiently.

The system relies on the data provided by soil moisture probes - and in turn these rely on the power delivered to the battery. Zero failure on the filed is a key requirement. Thus, only a high-quality battery is able to ensure total reliability and long life in these harsh conditions where temperatures can fall to -10°C in winter and reach +45°C in summer.

What is the solution selected by DFM Software Solutions?

Saft lithium-based bobbin and spiral batteries, LS-LSH batteries, distributed by local distributor Just Batteries, are used in both the soil probes and the communication system. Currently, the batteries are installed in over 50,000 probes.